Terry Butcher interview: Harry Kane is one of the greats, he has lifted the whole country

Detailed summary

Three Lions great hailed the men’s new record cap-holder on a special night at Wembley

Terry Butcher has hailed Harry Kane as “one of the greatest” as the England captain broke the men’s all-time appearance record at Wembley on Thursday night.

On a momentous night for Kane, who lifted his Ballon d’Or trophy to the Wembley crowd before kick-off, and made sure he had the final say, notching his 92nd international goal to secure a slender England win over Croatia.

The Bayern Munich forward is now both England’s men’s all-time record goalscorer and appearance holder, and Butcher believes the country is “very lucky” to call him one of their own.

“He’s the best player up there. He’s one of the best professionals that we’ve ever seen, one of the greatest players. We’re very lucky to have him.”

Butcher knows a thing or two about what it means to represent England, having captained his country seven times across terr77 international appearances.

It’s a heavy weight to bear, but a weight that you prepare to take on, and know you can lift

The defender was also an integral part of the England side under Sir Bobby Robson that reached the 1990 World Cup semi-finals, where they lost on penalties to West Germany.

Reflecting on his career, Butcher admits that while he may not have won as many caps as Kane, or previous record-holder and former team-mate Peter Shilton, it always remained an honour to represent England.

England player ratings vs Croatia: Kane joined by two 8/10s on special night

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